ABSTRACT
This article analyses the European Parliament’s (EP’s) gender equality promotion through parliamentary diplomacy by examining: (a) the relevant strategic, policy and legal frameworks; and (b) the political practice of gender-oriented parliamentary diplomacy in the 9th parliamentary term (2019–2024) towards Saudi Arabia by three key EP institutional actors: the plenary, the Foreign Affairs Committee and the interparliamentary delegation for relations with the Arab Peninsula. The insights are drawn from the data collected through documentary analysis and qualitative analysis in the form of interviews and a survey carried out with Members of the EP (MEPs) and administrative staff. The article argues that the case of gender equality shows that the EP is a highly advanced diplomatic player displaying significant potential to mainstream core EU norms abroad, but that its influence hinges both on the specific socio-cultural and political circumstances in the partner country and on the internal dynamics operating within the EP.
